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Daily Wisdom

June 27, 2007

30 Reasons To Reject Immigration Reform

The following is a list of 30 reasons for rejecting the Senate Immigration Reform Bill. I will try to keep things simple...

1. It is an amnesty program, plain and simple. Amnesty benefits do not wait for the “enforcement trigger.” After filing an application and waiting 24 hours, illegal aliens will receive full “probationary benefits,” complete with the ability to legally live and work in the US. This bill gives immediate recognition to millions of undocumented illegal aliens and puts them on "a path to citizenship".

2. There are no exceptions for criminals. Legal status must be granted to illegal aliens 24 hours after they file an application, even if the aliens have not yet “passed all appropriate background checks.”

3. Some child molesters are eligible. Some felons who have sexually abused a minor are eligible for amnesty. A child molester who committed the crime before the bill is enacted is not barred from getting amnesty if their conviction document omitted the age of the victim. The bill corrects this loophole for future child molesters, but does not close the loophole for current or past convictions.

4. Illegal aliens with terror connections not excluded. Illegal aliens with terrorism connections are not barred from getting amnesty. An illegal alien seeking most immigration benefits must show “good moral character.” Last year’s bill specifically barred aliens with terrorism connections from having “good moral character” and being eligible for amnesty. This year’s bill does neither.

5. Gang members are eligible. The bill allows violent gang members to get amnesty as long as they “renounce” their gang membership upon application.

6. Fugitives are eligible. Those subject to final orders of removal, voluntary departure orders, or reinstatement of their final orders of removal, are eligible for amnesty under the bill. The same is true for aliens who have made a false claim to citizenship or engaged in document fraud. More than 636,000 alien fugitives could be eligible.

7. Learning English is not mandatory. Illegal aliens are not required to demonstrate any proficiency in English for more than a decade after they are granted amnesty.

8. Illegals will be eligible for Earned Income Tax Credit. Current illegal aliens and new guest workers will be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, a refundable tax credit designed to encourage American citizens and legal permanent residents to work. The 1996 welfare reforms limited new immigrants from receiving public benefits until they had been legal permanent residents for five years. This bill ignores those restrictions.

9. Burden of Proof extremely low. Illegal aliens are allowed to provide "sworn declarations" from any non-relative (acquaintance, friend, co-worker, etc) that the alien was here prior to January 1, 2007 and is currently employed. DHS does not have the resources to examine whether the claims contained in these “sworn declarations” are valid.

10. Free legal counsel provided to illegals. Free legal counsel and the fees and expenses of arbitrators will be provided to aliens that have been working illegally in agriculture. The U.S. taxpayer will fund the attorneys that help these individuals fill out their amnesty applications. Additionally, if these individuals have a dispute with their employer over whether they were fired for "just cause," DHS will "pay the fee and expenses of the arbitrator."

11. Education benefits. In-state tuition and other higher education benefits, such as Stafford Loans, will be made available to current illegal aliens that are granted initial “probationary” status, even if the same in-state tuition rates are not offered to all U.S. citizens. This would normally violate current law (8 U.S.C. §1623).

12. "Merit System" is ignored. Current distribution of green cards favors "merit-based" qualifications to attract high skill workers. This bill ignores the existing system and encourages a flood of low-skilled workers.

13. Provides visas to visitors who plan to overstay. The new “parent” visa contained in the bill allows parents of citizens, as well as the spouses and children of new temporary workers, to visit a worker in the United States. This new visa specifically allows the spouse and children of new temporary workers who intend to abandon their residence in a foreign country, to qualify to come to the U.S. to “visit.” The visa requires only a $1,000 bond, which will be forfeited when, not if, family members of new temporary workers decide to overstay their 30 day visit.

14. Encourages chain migration. Although the bill will eventually eliminate chain migration (relatives other than spouses and children of citizens and legal permanent residents), it will not go into full effect until 2016. Until then, chain migration into the U.S. is expected to triple, from approximately 138,000 chain migrants a year to approximately 440,000 chain migrants a year.

15. Payment of back taxes not required. Last year’s bill required illegal aliens to prove they had paid three of their last five years of taxes to get amnesty. This year, payment of back taxes is not required for amnesty.

16. Some illegals will get Social Security credits. Aliens who came to the U.S. on legal visas, but overstayed their visas and have been working in the U.S. for years, as well as illegal aliens who apply for Z visa status but do not qualify, will be able to collect social security credits for the years they worked illegally.

17. Fines for illegals less than for government officials. The criminal fines an illegal alien is required to pay to receive amnesty are less than the bill’s criminal fines for paperwork violations committed by U.S. citizens, and can be paid by installment. Under the bill, an illegal alien must pay a $1,000 criminal fine to apply for a Z visa, and a $4,000 fine to apply for a green card. Eighty percent of those fines can be paid on an installment plan. Under the bill’s confidentiality provisions, someone (typically a government official) who improperly handles or uses information on an alien’s amnesty application can be fined $10,000.

18. U.S. VISIT system not required. The biometric border check-in/check-out system (VISIT) required by Congress in 1996 and already past its postponed 2005 implementation date, is not required to be implemented before this new temporary guest worker program goes into effect. The VISIT system is crucial to knowing who is in the U.S. and who is not.

19. Border security not required. Although there has been talk that this bill will provide for upgraded border security, implementation of those security measures will not be mandatory before the temporary guest worker program goes into effect.

20. The lesson of past precedent. During the Reagan administration, an amnesty bill was passed known as the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. President Reagan, acting on the recommendation of a bipartisan task force, supported a "comprehensive" approach to the problem of illegal immigration, including adjusting the status of what was then a relatively small population of 2-3 million illegals. Border security upgrades were supposed to follow the immediate amnesty. The lesson from the 1986 experience is: that it should never be repeated. There was extensive document fraud, and the number of people applying for amnesty far exceeded projections. Border security was never upgraded. Instead of 2-3 million illegals, we now have 12-20 million illegals.

21. Unkept Promises. In 1986 we were told that the illegals would be given a one-time amnesty and that border security would then be upgraded to prevent future such problems... but it never happened. In 1996 we were told that a new biometric data system called VISIT would be implemented to track foreigners coming into and going out of the country... but it never happened. In 2006 we were told that: a fence would be built along 700 miles of the US-Mexican border; high-tech surveillance systems including satellite and drone imagery would be employed; 6000 National Guardsmen were to be deployed to the border; and 6000 new border patrol agents were to be hired. As of June 15, 2007 only 13 miles of fence had been built. I have been unable to determine the number of National Guardsmen deployed or new border patrol agents hired, but I would be surprised if we are anywhere near the targets.

22. A cost analysis has not been performed. The US Senate is required to perform a cost impact analysis on bills such as this one which can generate significant expenses. To date, none has been performed.

23. It will be expensive. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that Earned Income Tax Credit provision alone will cost up to $20 billion dollars in just the first 10 years after the bill’s enactment. According to a Heritage Foundation report, this amnesty bill will ultimately cost $2.6 trillion.

24. The US taxpayer will foot the bill. It's really nice of the Senate to grant amnesty to millions of illegals, and give them rights they don't deserve, and give them benefits ordinary Americans don't currently have, but... it's not very nice of them to hand the bill to the American taxpayer. Why should I and my children pay for the benefits of social security, health care, food stamps, tax breaks, Medicare, Medicaid, welfare, educational assistance, and free legal counsel (among others) for those who committed a crime to get here.

25. It is unfair to those who have sought legal immigration. Aliens who broke into the country illegally a mere 6 months ago, are treated better than foreign nationals who legally applied to come to the U.S. more than two years ago. Aliens who can prove they were illegally in the U.S. on January 1, 2007, are immediately eligible to apply from inside the U.S. for amnesty benefits, while foreign nationals that filed applications to come to the U.S. after May 1, 2005 must start the application process over again from their home countries.

26. The US House of Representatives is against the bill. "It's DOA in the House," Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) said at a news conference. House Republicans passed a resolution Tuesday disapproving of the immigration bill 114-23.

27. Grassroots America is against the bill. Hundreds of thousands of people signed petitions and sent e-mails, faxes, and phone calls to various Senators in opposition to this bill. One organization alone had over 700,000 petition signatures. The same organization estimates that with member faxes and phone calls added to the petition signatures, over 1,000,000 Senate contacts were made in opposition to this bill. It's sad to say that the President and Senate are trying to shove this bill down our throats.

28. Working people are against the bill. America's hardest working people, especially its union members, are against this bill. The last thing union members or Walmart employees need is competition from an illegal source of workers willing to work for sub-minimum wages. In some places, long term American employees are being forced out of their jobs in favor of low paid illegal aliens. This is nothing but sheer discrimination.

29. Many illegals don't want to be citizens. Although this bill puts illegals on "a path to citizenship", it seems that many illegals don't really want to be citizens. At least, they don't act like they want to become citizens. For example, they don't bother to learn the language. They don't assimilate into society. They are only interested in making money and sending it back home to their relatives in Mexico or Costa Rica. Illegals are the single largest drain of cash out of the US. They are unlike those who have gone through the proper channels and procedures for becoming a citizen. They have broken the law to get here. They apparently have no respect for our legal system. If they only want our money but do not respect our laws, do they really want to be citizens? Should we reward them with citizenship?

30. A new law is not needed. We should enforce the laws we have on the books now. The laws as they exist today are perfectly clear and adequate. Those who come here illegally are supposed to be deported. We are told that it is impossible to locate and deport 12-20 million illegal aliens. I disagree. It's not impossible. It is simply a matter of will. This President and this Congress have no will to deport illegal aliens. This President and this Congress view these 12-20 million illegals as a potential voting pool, and they are pandering to them. We have fences to be built, biometric progams to be implemented, sanctions to impose against those who hire illegals, deportation orders to execute. Why can't this government enforce its own laws? LET'S JUST DO IT!

UPDATE: As of 11:04AM, Thursday, June 28th, the Immigration Reform bill has been killed in the Senate. The bill's supporters fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed to limit debate and clear the way for final passage of the legislation, which critics assailed as offering amnesty to illegal immigrants. The vote was 46 to 53 in favor of limiting the debate.

13 Comments:

20 more reasons and the "South of the Border," gang could be singing 50 ways to leave your lover. sigh, that song only works for the idiot liberals (that includes you Theodore Kennedy) that give the Mexicans something to love.

FactCheck.org had the nerve to say it was "misleading to call this bill amnesty" because it did provide penalties. A $1,000 fine for illegals. They neglected to mention the $10,000 fine for ICE employees who "impeded" the progress of an application. They were high on the "enforcement" provisions of the bill without mentioning that some of the aspects would not take effect for years. They seem to have conveniently forgotten that the enforcement of the 1986 amnesty bill has been woefully lacking.No matter how "tough" a law is, if the executive lacks the will to enforce it, it is meaningless.

Rick,Amen to that. Congress and the President want to "appear" to be doing something while in reality they are doing next-to-nothing... except blowing a lot of hot air around and covertly raising our taxes.

Actually, Hawk, I can think of about 12 million reasons. But you've done yeoman's service in collating 30 cogent reasons.

I just heard where the black liberal Juan Williams of FOX News debate fame said passing the Shamnesty Bill would simply "be the nice thing to do." How's that for an "argument"? I guess giving women the "right" to murder unborn babies was simply a "nice thing to do" ... you know, to keep them away from all those "backalley abortionists."

leticia olalia morales of 15501 pasadena ave #8 tustin ca 92780 submitted fake documents and paid 5000 dollars to obtain a US tourist visa. she also submitted fake employment records to obtain a work visa. she is now applying for citizenship.